Rocky Road
by Mr. Apocalypse
Summary: AU...Terra is tired of traveling. Tired of sleeping on rocks and in caves. When she enters a diner and meets up with a kindred spirit, they set out to the city to see what possibilities it holds for them. TerraRaven and more!
1. Chapter 1

Well, here it is folks. After a year of not touching this story, though plenty of sideways glances at some of its more painfully awkward bits, I've gone through the first chapter and did some well needed editing. I'm probably going to do this with the other chapters as well. Seeing as how this was my first contribution, it's in serious need of an upgrade.

In this chapter, I've gotten rid of that randomly awkward and slightly annoying scene of extreme emotions and such within the diner. Hopefully this makes it less searingly painful for some of you to read, it certainly made it more bearable for me. Enjoy!

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It was late in the evening, the sun already deep under the horizon and the chill of night was holding its grip on the rocky earth below it. The clear sky resting just above the red rocked span of land was clear and brightly light with the littering of bright stars that winked in the sky.

A pair of deep blue eyes looked up towards them. A pair of chapped lips curled upwards into a smile as the blond head began to work out shapes in the constellations. Libra, Virgo, and even Hydra. It seemed they were her only friends most of the time, the stars.

Allowing her sight to drag along the sky towards the horizon, she noted a very faint light in the distance. For a moment, she stopped in her tracks, her eyes looking at the light as she bit her bottom lip. Every thought in her head told her to turn around, but her body wouldn't respond.

How long had it been? Nearly four months since she'd been anywhere near a real building, much less a person. Maybe it was time she head back into a town. She was running low on toothpaste, desperately longed for a hot bath, and just wanted some company. The book and industrial strength radio in her bag were her only sources of entertainment and she hadn't held a conversation in months with anyone besides, herself (which worried her from time to time).

Her thick, ankle booted feet began their walk forward. Smells of grilled food, sopping with copious amounts of lard wafted about her causing her stomach to let out a long growl, her gloved hand gripping the thin shirt covering her stomach. "So hungry." She practically drooled. Yeah, she ate, but only the occasional egg when she could find a bird's nest or maybe a few roots with some roasted scorpions. Sniffing the air again like a ravenous beast, her mind questioned it. 'Why do I eat so terribly?' Driven by gnawing hunger, Terra quickened her pace considerably.

The smell of the cooking food grew stronger and stronger as she neared the light in the distance. The warm orange-ish yellow light from several street lamps revealed a small diner on the side of a long stretch of highway. Its outer walls gave way to the fact that this place was rather aged. Its wooden paneling's sky blue paint had darkened and began to chip off. Ancient pieces of metal which resembled furniture sat on a tiny deck built for three or four people, though the rust on it showed that it was rarely used.

Large eighteen-wheelers were parked in a cramped lot beside the building, all different companies and colors, their chrome accessories casting strange, luminous shapes against each other. She could see their owners inside the large front windows. Some were aged and kind looking, others... oddly shaped and a little on the untrustworthy looking side.

Little of that mattered though. Terra was hungry.

Stepping inside, the light, dull jingling of a weathered bell above her made nearly every head turn her way. The stares from half a dozen eyes made her grin a bit shyly. Terra gave a nervous nod of her head to a few of the lumpy truckers that she passed as she approached a booth and slipped into it; quickly ducking behind the available menu.

"What cannah git y'hun?" Came the twanged voice. Jumping a bit, Terra looked up to a woman dressed in a terribly plain dress, a dirty apron over it.

Looking back to the menu, she stuck her tongue out in thought. "Oh geeze, I dunno." Looking back up, she grinned. "A big stack of pancakes, five strips of bacon and five slices of sausage, four scrambled eggs, four pieces of toast, and a roast beef sandwich. Oh! Also, a tall glass of milk." In the back of her mind, the blond noted several things. Her voice was terribly hoarse sounding. Second, the gaze of every trucker was turned to her even _more so_ than previously noticed, a look of awe on their faces. "Hey, I'm hungry." She shrugged towards the men on the stools at the counter. They all gave a small chuckle and went back to their mugs of coffee. '_Maybe these truck-jockeys aren't too bad._'

Terra smiled happily as the glass of milk was set before her. "Cook said give'm a few. Nev'r had an order that big from one girl." The woman mumbled with a wrinkled cigarette in her mouth. Tired looking brown eyes focused on Terra for what seemed to be the first time, a shocked look to them. "Jesus is Lord girl! What happened?" The waitress suddenly looked quite concerned.

Raising an eyebrow, the blue eyed girl turned to the napkin holder beside her. She looked at the warped reflection in the cheap metal and offered herself a look of disgust. Her face was covered in dirt (not to mention the rest of her) and sweat. Her hair was disheveled from the winds whipping it around and it clumped together slightly with the lack of brushing or washing. Her skin was darkly tanned, not to mention rather sunburned, even with the sunscreen she applied ritualistically. It looked like she was simply thrown into a desert and left for dead. "O-Oh, heh... Just a bit of backpacking, y'know?" Setting the metal box down, she looked up at the woman. "Would ya happen to have a bathroom?"

"Nah, not in here, but c'mon, you can use the one in the house." The woman motioned. Leaving her backpack under the table, Terra began to follow the woman through the kitchen. The dirt covered girl spotted a terribly large man hunched over a flat grill. His massive hand wrapped around the spatula as she would a toothpick. At any moment, she expected him to grunt and begin hitting things with the metal utensil. "Gordon! This girl is washin' up in the house!" The woman called loudly, her bright red hair bouncing around a bit with her head's movements.

Turning his bald head, the man raised a thick black eyebrow. "What girl?" He grunted in a deep, gravelly voice. Spotting Terra with his gray colored eyes, the man walked over. "You the young'n who order up the big'n meal?" He snorted leaning down.

"Yessir, please don't eat me." The blond whimpered. Seeing the confused look for a few moments on the man's caveman like features, she scooted back a little. Suddenly, the wall of a man threw his head back letting out a bellow of a laugh. The sound of thunder – no, a _mountain_ falling over, had nothing on this man.

"He's harmless darlin." The waitress chuckled.

'Gordon' leaned back down. "Ya look like you've been trou hell and back young'n. How 'bout a'slice a' chocolate pie added onta that?" He smirked.

"I will love you forever then sir." Terra grinned widely. Hearing the thunderous laugh again, the blond gave a small laugh as well.

Making a motion to go into the house, Gordon turned back to the grill. "Get on; it'll be done in a bit."

Nodding, the two walked into the separate part of the building. It smelled aged, slightly musty, but a comforting smell. The two entered in a short hallway, a door to their left and right and two further down on the right, a large room to the left. "Bathroom's the second door darlin'." The woman muttered pushing on Terra's shoulder gently. "Food'll be ready in ten minutes." With that, the woman turned back around.

The dirt covered girl all but floored it into the tiled bathroom. It was surprisingly clean. A large tub sat within a concave wall in the corner of the far wall, further to the left on the same wall, a sink and mirror. To her right, a simple toilet sat. Towels of different colors hung upon old rods screwed into the wall beside the tub while several thick carpets covered the cold floor under the sink and toilet. Terra's eye began to water at the beauty of it all.

Standing at the sink, she opened a fresh bar of soap sitting on the counter and began to wash off her face, hands and arms. She made a slight face at the color of the water, its brownish black color evidence to how dirty she actually was. She ran some water through her hair, the same color water falling from it. It wasn't much, but it made her a little bit more presentable.

Drying off herself, she stepped out and back through the kitchen. Gordon raised his spatula towards the blond and grinned. "Good timen', food's done."

"Score!" Terra cheered and zipped around the separating wall and back into her booth. Before her, was everything she ordered, still steaming hot, to the left, a large slice of freshly made chocolate pie. Nearly drooling, Terra dug in, her hands working the fork and knife as fast as she could.

As she did, she noted that most of the truckers had left, two still sitting and talking with their mugs of coffee. Eying a clock, she read the time realizing it was nearly one in the morning.

"And what cannah git you?" Merna (as it read on her name tag) asked a figure at the booth right in front of the blond.

"Coffee," The soft, raspy voice mumbled.

"Come'n right up." The redhead noted and walked behind the counter filling up and old, slightly cracked mug; one of those ones that had a crack, but didn't _actually_ leak. After setting it back on the petite figure's table, she reminded them of how hot it was and went off cleaning up dishes left by the truckers.

Stopping in mid-chew, Terra raised an eyebrow at the figure in front of her. They were covered in a simple slate blue hoodie, the hood up and over their head causing a shadow to obscure their features. Her blue eyes noted a bit of ashen gray skin on the figure's neck, purple locks falling out of the shadows. Curves on the chest identified them as a female of some sort.

Flicking her eyes to the floor, she noted a small bag sitting on the floor. It wasn't very dirty, but it was packed full. _'Wonder where she's going._' Terra thought as she finished the egg in her mouth. Looking about, she picked up the two plates she had left, one covered with a few pieces of bacon and eggs, the other holding the untouched piece of pie. Slipping over to the bench across from the girl, Terra offered a grin. "Mind if I join ya?" The girl's head snapped up quickly, a pair of rather beautiful amethyst eyes widening; most likely at her appearance. A hesitantly slow shake of the head made the long haired girl grin more and sit down. "Hope I'm not bothering ya. It's just I haven't had a decent conversation with anyone in a few months." Seeing the curious look in the girl's ashen features, the blue eyed girl snickered. "Been traveling about on my own for a few years. Haven't really stopped anywhere with people for about four months."

"I see..." Mumbled the girl sipping her coffee. Her voice was very reserved, her head bowing a little bit so that the shadows would obscure her features a bit more. Noting a gloved hand extended to her, the purple haired girl looked up curiously.

"Name's Terra." The sunburned girl smiled happily.

"..." Taking the hand silently, the gray skinned girl shook it lightly. "Raven."

Widening her smile a bit, the blond tilted her head. "That's a pretty name." Seeing a slight blush light up the girl's cheek, she withdrew a hand and worked a bit more on her eggs. "So," Spoke Terra with a cheek full of egg. "Where'ya heading?" Noting the surprised look, the blond pointed towards the bag on the tiled floor with her work. "That, and I don't think many would be out here this far just to get some coffee." Terra snickered a bit.

"I... Don't know." Mumbled Raven lightly as she held the mug of coffee with both hands looking into it.

Tilting her head curiously, Terra leaned forward a bit. "Well…" Looking down at a piece of bacon, the blond haired girl began to spin it around with her pronged eating implement. "Where are you _not _going?" Another curious glance made her shrug innocently. "Direction wise I mean."

"West," Raven croaked in her soft voice before sipping her hot beverage. Terra simply nodded as she finished off the rest of the food on her plate, once more focused on her original reason for being in the diner.

Finally with a reprieve from the questions, the purple haired teen began to covertly inspect her impromptu dining companion.

While Raven considered herself on the thin side, this grim encrusted girl before her beat her easily. Bean pole might have been a bit on the meaty side for the girl. She was sickly or starving looking… though you would think so from the sheer food into mouth by time ratio she was showing. Sinewy looking would have probably been on the more accurate side. Her face was a relatively dark tan color, close to the coloring of a roasted turkey for Thanksgiving, maybe a little lighter. Red colored her cheeks where an apparent sunburn rested, a little on her forehead as well. The bit of neck and collarbones that she could see from the collar of her shift give a hint of her correctness of the lack of fat on the girl.

Now, Raven wasn't one to waste emotions on people she didn't know, and even _if _you did know her, even well, you'd probably spot only the shadow of a smirk once in a blue moon. But seeing this teen covered in dust and sweat, she imagined that she might have felt the faint pang of pity for her in the lowest pit of her stomach. It was similar to the feeling she believed that one would have if they found a lost puppy on the side of the road in the _rain_.

And for a moment, she actually considered she might have. Thankfully, a mouthful of the still rather hot coffee washed the thought away in a pleasantly burning sensation along the back of her throat.

On the edges of her vision, the blue eyed teen noted the silent girl shake her head slightly after setting her mug of still half-full coffee onto the table, Terra hummed a bit in thought. "I heard there was a city a few miles down the highway. I was thinking about going there for a little." She mused a bit as she sliced a piece of the pie off and brought it to her lips. Raven offered a small nod and sipped her coffee.

Raven looked up slightly and eyed Terra for a moment. The blond smiled to her with a bite of pie and turned to look out the window inconspicuously.

"'Ey! You two!" Gordon called through the small cook window. Terra and Raven quickly looked to the man. The blond offered a smile while Raven looked ready to charge out the door. "It's get'n late, yer welcome to stay here. We gotta pullout bed." He bellowed.

"Thanks Mr. Gordon!" Terra called. Turning to look at the very worried looking ashen skinned girl, Terra snickered a bit. "Yeah, kinda scary isn't he? Don't worry though, they're a nice couple." Gulping a bit, Raven nodded hesitantly and looked at the small duffel bag she had.

"Are you going to stay?" She asked in a slightly hopeful voice.

Raven looked at the slightly smudged clock on the wall behind the bar and noted the early hour, then looked to the still, pitch black night waiting outside the diner to drink up anything brave enough to walk into it. Looking down to her backpack, she considered her options for a moment before making a mistake she personally regretted. Her amethyst eyes flicked briefly to Terra who held a horribly pitiful, big eyed puppy dog look. That strange sense of flickering pity for the teen flared up again and the ashen skinned girl dropped her head in defeat to her weaker side, letting out a soft, "…Sure." The bold blond grinned brightly and reached down and picked up her heavy hiking bag. The slightly shorter girl stood up as well and followed along behind the girl in the heavy cargo shorts. Terra placed a bit of money on the counter and entered the small living room. An aged TV sat in the far left corner of the room, a pair of windows in each side of it covered in blinds and curtains. To their immediate left, pressed against the wall was an old couch, it's cushions moved and a large, queen sized mattress pulled out. Fresh sheets lay atop of it as well as a pair of pillows. The hardwood floor creaked under the steps as the two made their way over to the bed. They passed a pair of worn in reclining chairs, their olive green color matching the color of the curtains over the windows.

"You guys are the best." Terra sighed as she set her things down on the side of the bed closest to the hallway. "I hope I'm not asking too much if I request the use of your tub?" The blond asked Merna as she walked through the small living room.

"Why you go right ahead dear. Yer little friend can use it too if she wants." The redheaded woman smiled kindly.

Raven bowed her head a bit from the far side of the bed, near one of the large windows as she began to get herself accomidated.

Terra looked back to the ashen skinned girl and gave her a crooked grin. "You better bathe first; I plan on taking my sweet time in there." She snickered thumbing to the bathroom door. Seeing the purple haired girl nod and reach into her bag, the longer haired girl smiled and stepped back into the diner's kitchen. She had to at least thank them by helping with the dishes right?

It was a while before the two were cleaned up. Terra, having spent nearly two hours in the tub caused Raven to worry a bit, thinking she might have fallen asleep or hurt herself. But after carefully knocking on the door and asking if everything was okay and hearing a loud "Just enjoying my first hot bath in four months!", the purple haired girl shook her head and crawled into the rather comfortable bed and curled up in the sheet. She was dressed in a long shirt that reached down to her thighs, its dark blue color contrasting her skin well.

Terra stepped out of the bathroom dressed in a simple pair of boxers as well as an old green military tank top, her long blond hair still dripping a bit. She grinned as best as she could with her toothbrush in her mouth as she held up her now very damp clothing she was just wearing and set them on top of the Air Conditioning system in the wall to dry. "Had ta clen dem." She spoke with toothbrush in motion. Raven simply nodded silently as she watched the teen adjust the well worn clothing.

As Terra step back into the bathroom to finish brushing her teeth, Raven smirked a bit. While she wouldn't admit to anyone, she enjoyed the company of the energetic girl. It was refreshing when compared to her past company… Or herself for that matter.

"Hey, y'know, you look nice without that hood covering you up." Terra commented as she drew back the sheet, gaining a faint blush from Raven, and slipped into the bed. "Oh yeah..." She groaned. "No rocks under me tonight... No sir..." She mumbled, drifting off into sleep immediately.

Turning her head, the short haired girl looked at the content face of the tanned girl and offered a smile to the silent, pitch black night. She noted that she was smiling more than she ever did in a week back home in a single night with this girl around. Yawning, the ashen skinned girl shifted a little closer until she was about a foot and a half away from the girl and closed her eyes, her mind clouding over with sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

I seem to be on a roll right now, what with a quick little fic pumped out for AtlA that went pretty well and all sorts of various creative juices still flowing, I just figured I should work on this story a little. Anyway, here's a rewritten version of chapter two. Expect chapter three (if anyone still keeps up with this story or reads it) to be completely different. From here on out, the story will take a different direction than it originally went and was intended to go.

Just in case... You all know that Raven and Terra and whatever other well recognized characters I end up throwing into here aren't mine; that's why it's on and not in a novel or something. Gordon and Merna are my creations though, which is totally cool.

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"Warm..." It was the first thought which ran through her mind. Warmer then it normally was whenever she woke up. It seemed to be a lot brighter too. No cave could normally have this amount of light. She could feel a sheen of sweat already formed along her body under a thin sheet.

Cracking open a blue eye, Terra looked about. She lay on a queen sized foldout bed from a rather ugly couch. Window blinds, stained a strange yellow for years of exposure to direct sunlight were open letting warm sunshine fill the entire room. She could smell wonderful breakfast being cooked somewhere; smells of greasy, fatty slices of sausage and over easy eggs caressed her senses sweetly like a long forgotten lover. Strangely enough, something else poked at the back of her mind, something she wasn't too use to. A warm weight was on her chest. It didn't feel like her backpack and it was definitely too soft and smelled too good to be a rock.

Turning her head ever so slightly, the blond smirked a bit. The girl she met last night in the diner (she believe her name was Raven) lay pressed beside her on her stomach. The weight came from the violet haired head nestled on her chest, a tiny spot forming on the green cloth of her tank top where a bit of drool escaped the quiet girl's mouth.

It felt nice, even _if_ she was being drooled on, being this close to a person. Terra couldn't really remember when she was in a position like this last. The thought ran through her mind that she should feel at least a little weirded out, according to social standards; it was a girl after all, but she didn't really mind. After all, since when did she actually bother to care about standards? Guys were too hard for Terra. She had enough of that with the rocks that she often had to sleep on out in the wilderness. Raven was much softer, and quite cuddly.

Shifting around, Terra turned ever so slightly to look at the girl, causing Raven to be moved from her position. She listened to the ashen skinned girl give a small whine and move closer, her face in Terra's throat and legs wrapped around one of her own. 'Goodness, she's quite clingy in her sleep.' The blue eyed girl noted and grinned a bit.

Seeing as how she wasn't going anywhere for a bit, Terra decided to take a bit of time to study her fellow runaway.

The short, neatly cut hair that held that unusual purple color sat a mess atop Raven' head; strange curls and potential knots all over beckoned one of Terra's hands to reach up and gently move the strands about, doing her best to fix the mess. Slowly, her hand traced down Raven's face, a smile forming on the soft looking gray lips of her specimen. Her skin was impeccably smooth and soft, Terra's own was a bit rough from all of her adventuring. Moving a bit of hair from the shorter girl's face, Terra noted something she didn't notice the night before. A small diamond shaped stone rested in the center of the girl's forehead. It was a deep blood red color and held an incredible amount of mystery for Terra. She ran a thumb over it, only to feel Raven shiver against her. 'Curious.' Terra grinned a bit more.

"'Ey, you two gonna lay there all day o' you gonna get somethin' ta eat?" Merna asked as she stuck her head into the living room.

Turning her head as best as she could, Terra nodded and smiled. "Sorry, we'll be out in a few moments." She whispered. The redheaded woman smirked a bit and went back into the diner leaving the blond girl to wake up the pale one.

Laying a hand on Raven's shoulder, Terra shook very lightly. "Raven... Raven wake up." She mumbled lightly in front of the girl. Grumbles were the only response the blond got.

Sighing and beginning to untangle herself from the still sleeping girl, Terra watched the girl frown a bit and attempt to reclaim Terra. "Nuh uh, you need to wake up missy. We have some food to eat and a lot of walking to get done." The blond said as she shook Raven a little more.

An amethyst eye opened a little to look at the girl in her tank top and boxers. "It's way too early..." Raven stated, not even knowing the time.

"Eight is not early Raven." Terra snickered a bit a slid off of the bed.

Sitting up and yawning, the purple haired girl scratched her head then paused for a moment. "What do you mean we have a lot of walking to do?" She asked curiously.

"Well..." Terra suddenly felt a little nervous. "I guess... I guess I kinda assumed we were both going to the city together." The slim girl mumbled a bit as she walked over to her now dry clothes. Not hearing anything, Terra glanced beside her a bit. Raven was smiling a little while searching for something in her bag. Watching Raven slip on a pair of old, baggy pants, Terra smiled as the girl looked towards her.

"I… would like that." Raven mumbled, looking down.

Wrapping an arm around Raven's waist while standing beside her, the longer haired girl grinned widely. "Great! It's settled then. We'll head into the city after we get a nice big breakfast."

The two stepped into the diner and were soon sitting in the same booth as last night. A few people were here and there in the diner, one group being a family; most likely on some kind of road trip. Terra munched on a rather large breakfast, her plate stacked nice and high once more. Her blue eyes focused on the short haired girl who sat across the table poking around some eggs. "What's up?"

Looking up quickly, Raven blushed a bit. "Just a little anxious I guess." Eying her plate once more, she sighed. "I've never really been in the city on my own."

"It's not too bad. Just gotta know what you're doing." Terra stated matter-of-factly after sipping her orange juice. "Communes are great places to find in cities. There are people like me an' you that live in them all the time." Biting off a large piece of toast, she smirked. "There are some really neat people in them too."

Raven offered a small nod and bit into a piece of bacon. "So you do this kind of stuff a lot?"

"Gotta' when you're on the road, Rae." Terra shrugged a bit.

The two sat in silence for a bit. It wasn't tense, just the two enjoying their meals. Johnny Cash's, "The Man Comes Around" played through static on the radio in the ceiling causing Terra to hum along with it, her head bobbing. The ashen skinned girl eyed her traveling partner and smiled a bit at her sillyness. The blond scoffed a little and nudged the girl's left leg with her foot. "Don't laugh at me." Terra grinned. "You're pretty funny yourself you know."

Confusion could be seen on the slim face of the girl, one of her slim violet eyebrows raising.

"Yeah, you never really struck me as the kind of person that gets really cuddly at night." Seeing the girl's face flush red, Terra laughed a bit. "Don't worry, don't worry, it wasn't anything really bad." Munching on another piece of toast, Terra watched the ashen skinned girl in front of her focus quite intently on her plate. "Kinda cute really." The long haired girl tried, seeing the blush worsen slightly.

Beside the two, the napkin holder popped, its sides curling up, the napkins inside of it flying into the air of the diner. The patrons, including Gordon and Merna, looked over, shocked and rather confused.

Terra had jumped a bit at the initial sound, and then rubbed the back of her neck looking at a startled Raven who bit her bottom lip. "S-Sorry... I..." The purple haired girl began.

"What the _hell _just happened?" Gordon called from over the window.

"Sorry Mr. G! Tried to get a napkin and it totally broke on us!" Terra called back. "I'll pay for a replacement."

Merna walked over and picked up the metal container and smiled at the two. Raven looked up, a faint flash of terror in her eyes sullen eyes. "Don't worry hun... It's not the first time it's happened." The redheaded woman smiled and patted Raven's shoulder.

After everything calmed down a bit, the blond haired girl smiled a little. "...You ok?"

"Y-Yeah..." Raven sighed, closing her eyes as she took several long, deep breaths.

It was a curious sight to the blond. Something was _definitely _different about this girl, but she didn't feel inclined to push the subject further. Grinning and leaning back Terra patted her stomach happily. "Oh boy! Topped off and ready to go." She slipped from the booth and picked up the worn bag on the ground. "Ready for some major walking?" Terra asked as she stretched a bit loudly.

Giving a weary smirk, Raven followed Terra out the door after they paid and thanked the owners for being so kind. "Be careful out there! Ya hear? I don't wanna hear _nothin'_ on the news 'bout two girls!" Gordon called, his spatula waving at them.

"What nice people..." Terra hummed as they walked out the door. Looking around, she tapped her chin a bit and then looked back to Raven. "Which way did you come from?" A gray hand pointed to the right of them. It was a very bare, long stretch of highway. Nodding a bit, Terra looked to their left. More highway stretching along the road. "Guess we're gonna go that way." She snickered and began to walk along the side of the highway.

"How do you know if the city you heard about is that way?" Raven asked stepping up beside the blond.

Thrusting her hands into her pockets, the long haired girl shrugged a bit. "Well, how did you get here?" Hearing the light word 'hitchhiking', Terra nodded. "And since you came from behind us, that means that person must have been heading somewhere."

The logic seemed a little sideways to Raven but she saw no reason to try and contradict her new friend. She hitched up her backpack a little and looked at the rather bare horizon, sighing softly. What exactly had she gotten herself into?

A warm hand gently gripped hers, making the soft spoken teen look to the strong girl beside her who grinned warmly. "Ready to go?"

"… Yeah." Giving the gloved hand a light squeeze, the two began their long walk.

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Better? I certainly hope so. Expect another chapter some time before the end of the world.


	3. Chapter 3

_Woo! Finally! Chapter three is up and ready to go. Sorry for the delay. I caught some nasty bug as well as some back problems from leaning over this evil computer so much so I was taking it easy. Not to mention some of the good ol' lazyness set in during that time so I put off this chapter a little more then I hoped. Anyways, enough of me, on with the story!  
_

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It had been several hours since they had set off from the diner. The two traveling teenagers knew nothing of how far they had walked, nor how far they had left. Neither had spoken much for the four or so hours they had been walking. It was a rather comfortable silence, their minds focused on the horizon before them, where their futures lay in wait. 

Raven, the short haired, ashen skinned girl had shed her sweater long ago in favor of the simple white t-shirt under it. Her shoulder length purple hair was tied back in a quite small pony tail, the near violet locks just long enough to do so.

Wiping her brow, Raven stepped up to walk beside her blond haired companion. A simple smile rested on the slim girl's lips, her deep blue eyes flicking over to Rave. "What's up chuckles?" Terra grinned at the stoic look she received.

"Any idea what time it is?" The slightly shorter girl asked wearily.

Nodding, Terra moved the glove on her left hand a bit. "Mm... 'Bout 11:40. We still have plenty of time to get there." Stated the long haired girl in an overly cheerful voice, Raven groaning lightly. "Feel like taking a break?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Raven whined slightly. She followed Terra a bit further away from the road, nearly thirty feet or so. "Not really anything we can use to sit under huh?" The ashen skinned girl deadpanned a bit as her amethyst eyes scanned the near perfectly flat ground surrounding them.

Dropping her bag to the ground, Terra winked towards Raven. "That's where you're wrong, Raven." Her blue eyes lighting up with the strange, yellow light, Terra raised her equally glowing hands. A light rumbling issued forth from the ground below them, a tall stone jutting up from the ground smoothly. The rock cast a long shadow over the two, Terra sighing at its cooling effects. Though relieved from the sunlight, Raven still stared in awe of her companion as they leaned against the nearly eight feet wide stone.

"That was great." The short haired girl stared at Terra as she rummaged through her large hiking backpack. She watched as the tanned girl produced a several baggies. One seemed to contain a large mixture of dried cherries, peanuts and raisins, the second one held what seemed to be strips of beef jerky. The last one had bits of dried fruit of all kinds within it.

Handing Raven the baggies, she went back to digging a bit. "It wasn't much." Terra shrugged as she paused a moment to pull out what seemed to be a rather large, retractable survival knife. "I've been traveling long enough that I've had plenty of time to learn a bit of use for these powers." Raven offered a small nod and munched on a strip of beef jerky.

Making a slight face, Raven eyed the dried strip of meat, then looked towards Terra who munched on a mouthful of trail-mix. "This tastes... Awful." She mumbled lightly.

"Yeah I know." Terra gave a light laugh and turned her head to look at Raven. "Very low sodium content and very low spices. No sense in dehydrating yourself."

Raven looked back to the partially eaten strip and shrugged a little. "Makes sense I guess." She cringed a bit as she chewed on the very bland tasting piece of meat. It tasted like a piece of steak someone had burnt inside of a piece of tinfoil, then left on the counter for a few months too long.

Raven turned her head towards Terra as the blond held out a simple plastic canteen. "Here, it'll help a little." Sliding the trail-mix her way, she breathed in deeply, then sighed with a slight smile. "It's nice to have a travel buddy yeah?" Eying Raven, she watched the girl drink deeply from the water container then wipe her mouth on her sleeve.

"It is." She agreed with a nod. Handing the canteen back, Raven smiled and stood up sliding her backpack on. "Should we start walking again?"

Terra hopped up and put an arm around Raven's shoulders. "That'a girl!" About to take a step, the blond halted and looked back at the stone behind them. "Ah, one moment!" Turning on her heel, she stepped up to the stone placing a yellow glowing finger on it.

Curiously, Raven leaned over the grinning girl's shoulder to look at what she was doing.

It read in carefully engraved lines.

_Terra and Raven's Rock_

_Feel free to use our handmade shade!_

Below the words, a pair of faces that looked like rather cartoonish versions of the two sat. Raven's looked unimpressed and bored while Terra's was cheering. The purple haired girl let out a very small chuckle and leaned back. "Let's get going, it's hot."

"Yes ma'am!" The longer haired girl cheered and leaped behind Raven snatching her up in a tight hug.

Blushing a bit, Raven attempted to look at the blond head over her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Just wanted to mark our first official rest with something nice." Terra grinned and release her companion. "Let's be on our way!" She announced raising a fist.

Smiling a little, Raven nodded a began to follow along beside Terra once more.

It was a nearly half an hour back into the walk before either of them spoke. Raven looked up from focusing at her scuffed sneakers to eye Terra. "So... How did you learn to get control over your powers?" She nearly whispered.

"Mm?" Raising an eyebrow and looking at the pale girl, Terra smirked crookedly. "Well, I guess since I knew it was more or less controlled by emotion, I put myself into emotionally charged situations."

"Like what?" The short haired girl asked curiously.

"Well, I threw myself off a cliff once." Seeing Raven's eyes widened in shock. Terra gave a dismissing gesture. "It's ok, I was more or less safe." Snickering a bit, she crossed her arms. "That was actually one of the safer ones."

Holding up her hands a bit in defeat, Raven sighed a bit. "I'd really rather not hear the others. I don't want to have to slap you for being stupid." She blushed deeply as an arm circled around her waist.

"Aww, you wouldn't really hit me would you?" Terra mumbled in a pathetic voice and giving Raven her best pout.

"... If you deserved it." The ashen skinned girl shrugged a little getting a light backhand to her shoulder as Terra released her.

Soon, night began to fall around the two, a chill quickly setting in. Terra had drawn a worn and quite old, military field jacket on, its olive green color highlighted by strips of slightly flaking reflective tape. Behind her, Raven had once more dawned on her slate blue hoodie.

"It's getting late..." Raven mumbled as she crossed her arms over herself for warmth.

"Yeah..." Terra agreed as she eyed the road behind them. Letting her hand reach out with her thumb up, the blond sighed a bit. "I despise hitchhiking." It made for potentially dangerous situations for herself. She was confident she could take care of herself, but...

Her eyes flicked over to the slight outline of Raven's profile against the dark blue horizon. Her small, reddening nose stuck out slightly from the shelter of the hood as the wind blew against their faces. 'I don't want _her _to get hurt.' Terra thought as she pulled her hand back in to warm it up a bit, the winds deepening the chill of the already cool night.

Just as she began to warm up her hand though, a bright light from over a hill in the road behind them appeared. Terra turned and shot her hand out, the dazzlingly bright lights temporarily blinding her. The ancient black truck cruised on by for a few hundred feet then began to slow. Terra's eyes looked hopeful as the truck's break lights lit up.

"Be ready for anything." She said in a cautious voice, even with the cheerful look on her face. Raven glanced over, her face holding a bit of nervousness in it. Jumping a bit, she glanced down at the warm gloved hand that snatched hers and began to pull her along.

The two girls eventually caught up and stood a bit out to the side of the rusty and rather junky pickup truck. Bits of paint were beginning to fleck off of it's sides and hood, while the inside was filled with papers and old bits of scrap. Most likely from _other_ cars.

"Where ya'll headin' to?" Asked the deep, rather kind sounding voice. Terra could make out a dark skin tone within the shadow of the dark gray hood connected to the jacket covering a rather broad frame.

"Umm, whatever city is that way." The blond pointed towards the horizon in front of the vehicle.

Laughing a bit, the broad young man looked towards the dark scenery. "That way is Jump City, where I live." Resting an arm over the back of the long front seat, he tilted his head a bit to look at the ashen skinned girl slightly behind Terra. "Is she ok? She doesn't look very good. Kinda pale actually."

"Sh-She's fine." The blue eyed girl laughed a bit and eyed the inside of the truck. "Doesn't look like a whole lot of room for two hitchhikers."

Looking at the front seat littered with motor parts, the young man turned a bit more to look at the bed of the truck. "Well... I guess if you're desperate enough, you can climb into the back. 'Fraid I don't have a blanket or anything though."

"No problem." The long haired girl smiled a bit and turned towards Raven. The quiet girl gave a small yawn causing her companion to grin. "You can sleep on the way there..."

Climbing into the back of the truck, the two moved around old gas containers, tool boxes, and other assorted pieces of metal until they had a large enough spot to sit in. Terra had pulled out the sleeping bag connected to her backpack as well as a space blanket, Raven already moving about to slip into the large cushioned bag. Terra couldn't help but smile at the tired girl as she too moved to slip her legs into the dark blue sleeping bag. With her back propped against the back of the truck near the rear window and bag providing as a rather nice cushion, she rapped her knuckles against the glass.

"Hang on to yourselves girls!" The loud young man cheered and sped off into the night.

Terra listened to the roaring wind as she looked down at her young companion. The purple haired girl had toughed out the long walk that she wasn't use to and exhausted herself. "I guess it's a blessing this guy came along." Terra mused lightly as she looked at the pale head that rested in her lap. Running a few fingers through the dark purple locks, the blue eyed girl smiled. "Don't worry Raven. I'm sure we'll be okay in the city." She mumbled lightly. A rueful grin founds its way over her smile. She wasn't sure who she was actually saying that to. Raven, or herself.

Adjusting herself so that she was leaning a bit, Terra sighed and pulled her heavy jacket around herself tighter. The sounds of the roaring winds and the warmth of Raven's body in the sleeping bag began to pull her into sleep.

Letting her tired gaze fall back on the ashen skinned girl, she smiled a little and closed her eyes, sleep taking over.

* * *

_AN: I wanted to get this chapter up quickly so I didn't do a whole lot of proof reading. Thankfully a very good friend of mine was kind enough to read this over and tell me what was needed to be fixed. Thanks beautiful! Anyways, same as always. Liked it? Didn't like it? Characters falling out of character? Spelling mistake? Tell me in a review!_

_PS: More cuddly Raven and even a possible... GASP! Shower scene coming in the next chapter?_


	4. Chapter 4

For anyone who has been keeping up with this, I'm terribly sorry about the lack of any updates. Work, school, and failure have been kinda keeping me from writing. Anyways, I'll try and keep up with this a little better. Forgive the massive amount of mistakes that most likely litter this chapter. I didn't take the time to review it.

Edit: Not really a complete edit yet. But wow. I thought I posted this weeks ago. Sorry again folks!

* * *

It was a strange feeling that woke the purple haired girl up. It was similar to the feeling you get when you're not paying attention and suddenly everything goes quiet and you instinctively know it's you everyone is focused on. An amethyst eye opened slowly, just as a rocking motion shook the old truck. Heavy footsteps against gravel could be heard exiting the drivers side of the truck. 

Hearing them move further and further away, Raven sat up quickly and shook her sleeping parter awake. The blond girl lay propped up slightly, her head nestled in the corner where the bed of the truck met the actual cab, an old sweater balled up as a pillow. "Terra! Terra wake up!" Raven whispered harshly as she looked around, unsure of their new location.

How she missed it, she couldn't say. A brightly lit neon red sign held the words _Fault and Fissure Bar and Inn_. Motorcycles, pickup trucks, semis as well as rather ordinary looking cars sat around in the dirt and gravel parking lot. Voices and music could be heard coming from inside the center building, smaller sections connected to the building holding small, reddish brown doors with simple metal numbers on them.

"Mmm.. ugh... What?" Terra blinked a bit then looked around. Her deep blue eyes looked down to a nervous Raven then to the building near them. "Where are we?" She asked as she began to gather up their things quickly, a bit of intensity lacing her voice.

The ashen skinned girl nodded towards the rather tall, broad young man that had driven them as he made his way out of the center building. He was turned slightly, waving back inside to who only knew.

"Oh good, you two are awake!" He chuckled as he walked up. "I was worried I was gonna hafta carry ya'll to your room myself." He deep voice said in amusement and slight relief.

"Room?" Terra asked hopping out of the back of the truck, Raven following suit.

Nodding, the nearly two heads taller young man reached into his jacket and pulled out a pair of keys. "You two got number eleven. I'll be right next door if anything goes down."

Taking the keys, the blond handed one to her ashen skinned parter who stuffed it into her jeans pocket. "Thanks." Adjusting her bag, Terra watched the young man begin to nearly stuff himself back into his truck. "Say," The long haired girl started. "What's your name anyways?"

"Oh, um..." He laughed a bit and rubbed the back of his head. "Call me Stone."

Snickering a bit, Terra nudged Raven. "I like that name." Seeing the quiet girl offer a small smirk, the two hopped back into the bed of the truck. A short ride to the back of the building followed by a short walk along the outside of one of the wings that connected to the center office/bar, the three made it to their rooms.

Terra made a slight face as did her companion slightly behind her. The inside of the room was a terrible yellowish color. Years of sunlight from the windows had changed the colors of the once, possibly white walls into a sickly yellow color, like old corn. The single bed in the room was covered in what seemed to be a hand stitched comforter. Small patches of all kinds of materials and shapes littered it in an array of colors. A few holes sat on the hem of it which nearly touched the thinly, red carpeted floor.

"Well, at least it's not infested with rats." The blond laughed a bit uneasily. Just as she turned to look back at the stoic looking girl behind her, a scratching sound emitted from the wall. "... I hope." She added turning her head back to the room.

Raven set her bag down on the queen sized bed as she continued to walk towards the far side of the room which housed a very tiny kitchen with an aged toaster oven and microwave. In the corner of the single counter, what seemed to be a coffee pot sat, old and forgotten. To the immediate left of the "kitchen" sat a small, pale green door with an old and rusted knob.

Forcing the slightly stuck door open, the purple haired girl stumbled into the small tiled room. Directly to the right of the door sat an aged shower, possibly big enough to fit nearly three people with a bit of room to spare. To the left of that, in the far right corner of the room sat a small, slightly dingy looking toilet. In front of the door, a few steps forward was a simple sink with a mirror right in front of it. Glancing at her reflection, Raven offered it a sigh and turned, closing the door.

"What are you doing?" The slightly taller girl mumbled upon seeing the blond throwing the comforter to the side as carefully as she could.

Shivering a bit, Terra looked to Raven and then to the thick blanket on the floor. "Never use one of those in hotels. God only knows what's still on them." Seeing the ashen skinned girl raise an eyebrow to her, Terra frowned. "What? It's a perfectly reasonable fear."

"... You went for four months without a bath." The girl in the hoodie pointed out.

"Hey, I took baths, just in really cold water. And this is completely different." The blond stated while crossing her arms.

Looking to the discarded comforter once more, Raven offered a small shrug and motioned to the bathroom. "I'm going to go get showered." The ashen skinned girl moved to her bag and began to rummage through it until she produced her towel. "I'm afraid that due to the apparent... Age of this place, there might not be much hot water left over after I'm done."

Putting a hand to her chin, the blond contemplated it. They would be lucky if there ever was hot water, much less enough for a single shower. Shrugging a bit, Terra thumbed to the wall where the head of their bed rested. "Maybe Stone could sacrifice himself for a lady's comfort."

Scoffing a bit as she stood near the bathroom door, Raven watched the girl for a few moments. She started as the girl made her way towards the door. "W-Wait!"

"Mm?" Turning her head a bit with her hand on the knob, the taller girl watched the slowly reddening face of her companion. A few moments of silence passed by before the already decrepit toaster oven exploded in an aura of dark energy. "Whoa whoa calm down Rae." Terra laughed a bit walking over. "What's up?"

"Sorry..." Raven mumbled sighing a bit and closing her eyes. "I'm sure if... If we both were to use it at the same time, there would be enough water." The ashen skinned girl mumbled in her soft, raspy voice. Her right hand gripped the shampoo bottle tightly as she looked up at the longer haired girl.

Raising an eyebrow, Terra leaned against the doorway to the bedroom, about three feet from Raven. Her curious gaze rested on the blushing girl. "What's wrong with going over to Stone's?"

"H-He's a guy! And you just met him!" Raven exclaimed, her eyes resting on the floor. "I-I would... Worry."

A sly grin slowly spread along Terra's lips as she stood straighter. "Technically, I just met you too Rae."

"Yeah well... We're closer then you a Stone are!" Huffing a bit, the thinner girl moved forward and grabbed the gloved hand before her, pulling the tanned girl into the bathroom.

"Oh my, how forceful." Snickered the blond putting a hand to her lips jokingly; Raven went about setting her shampoo and soap down, pointedly ignoring the longer haired girl.

As the purple haired girl began to set her towel down on the counter, she nearly froze. After letting this thing go, she would have to undress.

Undress. In front of this girl.

A flush bloomed along her cheeks once more.

Shaking her head, she sighed. She was thinking like this simply because she was tired. That's all.

Warmth spread along her back as a soft body pressed into her. A light snickering entered her right ear as hands gripped her waist. "Not getting cold feet are ya Rae-Rae?" The rough hands' fingers rested only slightly under the hem of the shirt covering Raven's torso, fingertips barely brushing flesh.

Shivering a bit and moving away, the shorter girl shook her head. "No, I'm just f--" Her sentence stopped dead as she stared at the quite naked blond before her. Amethyst eyes glanced along the slim, toned form in one movement, then back up to the slightly red cheeks. "F-Fine." Raven finished. "Start the water please, Terra." She mumbled as she gripped the hem of her white shirt.

Terra nodded a bit and turned around towards the simple shower. It was one of those baths mixed with a tub, giving it a rather unappealing look to it. She heard the gentle rustling of clothing behind her, making her grin a bit and let her view drift to her right.

The ashen skinned girl had just pulled off her shirt, revealing a simple white bra, contrasting a bit with her grayish skin. Her above average chest made the blond regard her own with a slight frown. Almost flat...

Letting her eyes drift back to the half-naked girl, Terra allowed herself to admire the girl's form, not in a sexual way, but she found the girl quite beautiful. Her slim body was sinewy and slightly toned, more on the thin side though. Soft, smooth skin rested over slight muscle which moved flawlessly as she moved.

A light cough made the blond look up to the purple haired face and grin sheepishly. "Water's almost warm enough!" Terra laughed a bit.

"Go ahead and get in." Raven nodded with her head towards the shower curtain.

"Well what about you? Can't shower in your underwear." Turning with her hands on her hips, Terra regarded her flushed friend.

"I'll get in as soon as you do... Just get in."

Smirking a bit, the longer haired girl shrugged a bit and turned on the shower head stepping into the warm water. "What happened to the cute, quiet girl I picked up the other night?" Terra asked rhetorically shrugging her shoulders. "Oh hey! Can I use some of your shampoo? You kinda pulled me in here before I could get my stuff."

Blushing a bit as she set her bra aside and began slipping off her panties, the shorter girl stepped towards the curtain. "G-Go ahead..." She pulled it aside as she stepped in, her cheek reddening worse as she looked to her left, the long haired girl facing away from her.

Terra's fingers scrubbed the rose scented shampoo into the blond scalp, suds falling along her toned back and rounded backside. Raven blushed lightly but smiled a tad mischievously. Reaching down, she cupped her hand and scooped up the suds from the slightly tanned bottom making its owner yelp and jump away from the hand only to press into the tiling.

Hearing a light giggle behind her, Terra's flushed face looked towards Raven who offered a small smile. "Oh I get it. I gotta stare at the moldy wall and Rae gets to look and touch all she wants." Seeing a deep flush in Raven's cheeks, the blond shrugged a bit. "Whatever." She singsonged and began to rinse her hair.

"Terra?"

"Mm?"

"I need the water too..." Raven mumbled a bit.

"Too bad!" Terra singsonged again.


	5. Author's Note

A quick update for those who enjoy this story.

Sorry for such the long pause between… Well, anything. College has taken a major center point in my life, so writing's kind of a side hobby for me anymore. Anyway, what I'm going to be doing with this story is a bit of a rewrite, bit by bit.

Note to anyone who might wonder at any plot inconsistencies, the previous reason it most likely why.


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